Gotham's James Frain will be joining Star Trek: Discovery as Spock’s father, Sarek, who's been described as a "key character" in the series.

This is the first character from a previous Star Trek franchise to be confirmed for the upcoming show. Sarek - an astrophysicist and Vulcan ambassador to the United Federation of Planets - fathered Spock with his human wife, Amanda, and has featured in the original series and The Next Generation, as well as several movies.

But it's not all good news - the premiere for Star Trek: Discovery has, once again, been delayed. Discovery commences filming next week, but while we’d originally expected the show to air in February, and then May, as yet there’s no word on when it might air.

According to a report on EW, the premiere has been pushed back again to avoid “marketplace confusion” given new addition, Sonqeua Martin-Green, is also still on-screen in her role as Sasha in AMC’s The Walking Dead.

In a statement to press, CBS Television Studios said: “Production on Star Trek: Discovery begins next week. We love the cast, the scripts and are excited about the world the producers have created. This is an ambitious project; we will be flexible on a launch date if it’s best for the show. We’ve said from the beginning it’s more important to do this right than to do it fast. There is also added flexibility presenting on CBS All Access, which isn’t beholden to seasonal premieres or launch windows.”